Dragon's First Rule (Dragons of Midnight Book 1) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Epilogue

  Dragon’s First Rule

  Mailing List Sign-Up

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Get The Next Book

  Dragon’s First Rule

  Dragons of Midnight Book 1

  Silver Milan

  Copyright © 2017 by Silver Milan

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover design by Melody Simmons.

  Contents

  Dragon’s First Rule

  Mailing List Sign-Up

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Get The Next Book

  Dragon’s First Rule

  Ariel, a newly turned lion shifter, stumbles into the subterranean city of Midnight, home of the dragon shifters. Alone and vulnerable, she catches the eye of the dangerously attractive dragon king. Jett. He charms her and promises help, but can she trust him? After all, he is the King of the Dragons. Why would such a powerful man come to the aid of a common girl?

  When Jett realizes Ariel has no one, he vows to protect her, as the girl has been turned against her will in dragon territory. He plans not only to shield her, but to hunt down the very outlaw who hurt her.

  But Jett soon finds himself growing attached to his quirky yet beautiful lion shifter. He begins a dangerous game with her, skirting the razor's edge of passion. He must take care because if he surrenders to his desire, he will forfeit not only his throne, but perhaps both of their lives.

  Note: This book contains explicit love scenes and is intended for mature readers who like their paranormal romance on the steamier side. Inside you'll find sexy dragons, strong women, and kick-ass magic.

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  1

  Naked and bruised, Ariel struggled up the wooded mountain trail. The path became steeper with each step. Her breath rasped in her throat, and her legs burned.

  The distant roar of the huge lions that hunted her arose in the distance.

  Terror gripped her heart, and for a moment she feared she might transform again, but thankfully the change didn’t come. Her inner beast had been strangely calm ever since reaching the shoulder of the mountain. She had no idea if that was good or bad.

  She had been on the run for days, chased by animals that she thought existed only in zoos—at least on this continent. She realized early on that the lions were herding her deeper into the wilderness, steering her away from civilization. Probably a good thing: she couldn’t return, not anymore. Not with the beast that lurked within her, waiting to burst out of her and kill everything in sight.

  Everything.

  An eager growl erupted from deep inside her throat.

  What the hell am I?

  Less than a week had passed since the fateful day of the bite. A nightmarish week that had passed in a blur of transformations to and from the beast form as she fled farther into the woods. She was no longer human, that much she knew. Not entirely.

  The trees fell away, revealing a winding path that continued to climb the escarpment overhead. The forbidding gray rock towered over her.

  She approached the base of the trail and paused at the threshold. A wooden sign had been staked between two rocks. Characters were burnt into the surface:

  Here Be Dragons.

  “That can’t be good,” she muttered.

  Another roar behind her. Closer.

  She hurried past the sign and onto the trail.

  When she had climbed about fifty meters she heard a voice behind her.

  “We only want to help you!” a man called.

  The voice triggered the beast inside her, which tried to claw to the surface; Ariel clamped down with all of her might, clenching her fists and straining against what felt like a dam ready to burst inside of her. Somehow, she managed to contain the transformation. That was the first time.

  “If you continue, you’ll be lost to us,” the male baritone insisted. “It might already be too late.”

  She glanced over one shoulder. A naked man stood at the base of the trail, though his lower body was partially hidden by a shrub. He seemed unwilling to step past the threshold demarcated by the dragon sign.

  “Logan will pay for what he did to you,” the man said. “Please. We won’t hurt you.”

  “I don’t want your help.” Ariel turned her back on the man.

  “Continue up that mountain, and you won’t return,” the man said. “They don’t like visitors.”

  Perhaps it would be for the best if she didn’t return, given what she had become.

  Ariel resumed her climb.

  The man remained quiet. She looked over her shoulder a moment later: he was gone.

  Good riddance.

  The path ended in front of a wide cave seemingly cut into the mountain.

  Ariel stared into the darkness. She could see surprisingly far inside, thanks to her enhanced vision, but nothing stood out to her among the rock walls.

  It seemed safe to turn her back on the cave, and she did so, gazing out from the precipice to survey the valley before her. Ordinarily, she would have thought the wide, tree-filled expanse so beautiful. She loved nature and hiking. It was one of the reasons she had come out here in the first place.

  But she felt nothing now, only emptiness. She wondered if she would ever be able to appreciate such beauty again, given what she had become.

  She glanced at the cave once more. She couldn’t figure out why she felt strangely drawn to it.

  She shook her head.

  Not going inside.

  Though she was incredibly upset, she didn’t have a death wish. There might be a bear or something sleeping inside. Or maybe a dragon, like that stupid sign had said. Wouldn’t surprise her anymore, not in the least: she was being hunted by lions who could become humans, after all. And she was one of those lions.


  Hmm. I wonder if I could actually take on a bear now? Doubt it.

  For now, all she wanted was to get away from those hunters. She decided to stay here for a few hours, just long enough to ensure the lion men had gone away. And then she would climb back down and get the hell out of here.

  And what then? Well, she figured she would have to live out the rest of her days in the woods. It would be a solitary life, away from the technology that drove modern society. She would have to give up all her friends and family.

  Maybe one day she’d be able to control the beast inside of her. If she could do that, perhaps then she could return. She had a reason to hope now, given that a few moments ago she had exerted her will on the lioness and prevented the beast from ripping out of her skin. That was something, at least.

  She sat down on the precipice and settled in for the wait.

  “Well hello.” A male voice spoke behind her.

  Ariel spun in fright; when she saw the man standing at the cave mouth, she momentarily forgot all fear, forgot where she was and how she got there, and instead simply stared, spellbound.

  Standing in front of the cave entrance towered the most beautiful man she had ever seen. He had to be at least six and a half feet tall. He was too gorgeous to be a model. Too breathtaking to be a movie star. She got butterflies in her stomach just looking at him. Where to begin? His hair… oh yes, his hair. It was as if someone had taken several bars of gold and melted them down to form the bouncy curls that fell around his spectacular face. His eyes were a fiery gold like his hair, almost unnaturally so. They were almond-shaped and beguiling, shining with intelligence.

  His broad, bold nose jutted aristocratically from his face, perfect in every way. The plump lips of his chiseled, sensuous mouth had such gorgeous curves—if any lips were created for kissing, it was those. He had a strong, noble jaw that matched his nose, and smooth bronze skin that spread silkily across his forehead and cheeks.

  His thickly corded neck disappeared into the collar of a black and gold dress shirt, whose sleeves were rolled back to the elbows, revealing his muscular forearms. Black and gold tribal dragons were tattooed from wrists to elbows on each arm. The tight shirt did little to conceal the outline of his wide, powerful shoulders; the hard muscles of his pecs pressed out from beneath the fabric. She could also make out the deep grooves of a six-pack.

  A designer belt cinched his lean waist, and below that he wore dark-washed, fitted jeans. Her eyes lingered on his groin, where—

  Ariel blinked as she realized how blatantly she was checking him out, and she quickly lifted her eyes back to his face.

  The beautiful man’s eyes sparkled with amusement.

  She remembered she was stark naked and quickly blocked her breasts with one arm, twisting her torso away and covering her bum with her other hand. She kept her gaze on him, staring at him over one shoulder.

  “What are you looking at?” she said.

  “I’m looking at you,” he replied defiantly. She hadn’t noticed it when he spoke before, but even his voice was sexy as hell.

  As she gazed at that haughty expression, the fear returned. Not of him, but for him.

  “Are you one of them?” she said.

  “One of who?” the man said, eyes still sparkling.

  “You’re obviously not a backpacker or camper,” Ariel said. “You don’t find many people who dress like European fashionistas in the middle of the wilderness.”

  “No, you don’t,” the man said hypnotically.

  Then again, if he was one of the lion men who pursued her, he would have been butt-naked, like her.

  “Look, it’s been a rough few days,” she said. “I’m not in the mood for games.”

  “You seem in surprisingly good spirits to me,” the man said.

  She smiled fleetingly. “Call it a defense mechanism. Listen, if you’re not one of them, then you’re putting yourself at risk. I’m not someone you want to know. I have to get myself as far away from civilization as I can. Those lions did… something… to me. I could change at a moment’s notice. You could die.”

  “Change?” he said.

  She heard the distant roar of a lion echo from the valley below.

  That triggered the beast, and the lioness in her clawed to get out. Clawed clawed clawed.

  “I—” she said. But the words came out a growl.

  The coming change was a strong one. She fought it with all her might, but she knew she was going to lose this time.

  “Run,” she hissed between clenched teeth, not wanting to maul this beautiful man. She dearly hoped he obeyed, because otherwise he was about to die.

  Unfortunately, the man simply stood there, towering over her, unafraid.

  I’m sorry.

  Every muscle in her body clenched in agony.

  She transformed.

  2

  Jeddah Flavius Vespasianus III, or Jett to those that knew him, stared at the snarling lioness before him in growing amusement. This was more entertaining than he thought. Though he had to admit, he was surprised by just how big she was. From her size, he guessed she weighed almost a quarter of a ton, though her graceful, powerful movements gave the illusion of a much lighter weight. He could see the muscles rippling beneath that tawny fur.

  She was a beautiful creature, though he preferred the naked women who had been sitting there moments before, even if her hair had been matted and her skin covered in grime.

  Jett held out a kindly hand toward the beauty.

  The lioness snarled, baring her long, curving canines, and crouched low, ears flat. She retreated directly backward; the trail leading down the mountain wended away to the right, but the lioness was backing toward the cliff edge instead. If she fell over that precipice, she would be badly injured, at the very least. Shifters healed at faster rates than ordinary humans, but still, it would not be pleasant.

  Jett withdrew his hand and stepped back in turn. “Please, I mean you no harm. I am familiar with your kind. Come, I have food, shelter.” He beckoned toward the cave. “Come.”

  The animal made no move to comply, but she had stopped her retreat at least.

  Jett retrieved a large slab of raw meat from a wicker basket he’d set aside in the mouth of the cave for this very purpose.

  The lioness eyed the meat hungrily but remained glued to the spot.

  Jett tossed the meal toward the creature. She stared at it suspiciously, then, after giving him one last snarl, she promptly set about to devouring it. She ate quietly, chewing contentedly.

  When she was finished, Jett said: “Will you come with me now? I have much more food where that came from. Meaty delights like you couldn’t imagine.”

  She only growled in reply.

  Jett cocked his head. “Is it because you’re afraid of hurting me? You can’t harm me, trust me. Or are the light levels too low in the cave for your comfort?” He glanced over his shoulder and shouted: “Dan, some illumination, please!”

  The insides lit up, revealing a long corridor of rock with LED lights affixed to the stone overhead.

  He glanced at the lioness. “Dan is the name of our state-of-the-art computer system. Think Siri on steroids. Now come on, beautiful. You’ll be completely safe. Those who hunt you can do you no harm here.” The animal’s features seemed to scrunch in confusion, as if trying to understand how he knew of her plight. “Yes, you tripped several hidden security cameras along the way here. I’ve been watching your approach for many miles, before you even hit the foothills. I know the Blue Hurricane pride hunts you. That was Cliff Dawson, their Alpha, who tried to stop you at the trailhead. His pride, along with Starry Oak, have been testing my patience lately, hunting right up to the borders of our city, even though I have made it clear that they are to remain outside the foothills at all times.” He poured steel into his voice. “It would be a simple thing, to snuff those prides from existence, and yet they serve a purpose, acting as a deterrent against those who’d come here with bad intentions.” He
narrowed his eyes. “Now come with me before I lose the last of my patience.”

  Still the animal did not follow. Jett frowned. “All right, if that’s what you want… ordinarily, I wouldn’t do this, but you leave me no choice. For your own safety.” He allowed compulsion to fill his voice. “Come.”

  He turned his back, entering the corridor. He knew the animal would follow.

  What he had told her about her own safety was true, though he left out the small fact that it wasn’t really the lions hunting her that he was worried about, but rather his own people. There were many laws that had to be followed regarding the trespass of humans or shifters into this domain, and by stepping past the sign below and onto the winding path up the mountain, she had marked herself as potential quarry. But as long as she was with him and at his side, no harm would come to her.

  He remembered seeing her out there in human form on the hidden security cameras. Naked. So delicate seeming. But then when she transformed, such ferocity… he’d watched her fight her way past the lions of Starry Oak that had tried to cut her off in front of the foothills. And then when she had fought her way past them and continued making her way forward, transforming back into a human, the despair on her face had pulled at his heartstrings and triggered his protective instincts. He felt compelled to protect this poor hunted soul who had come running into his domain. It was why he had traveled to the surface to welcome her personally. Plus, if anything, it would be a welcome diversion to court life.

  He occasionally glanced over his shoulder to encourage the lioness to follow. Looking into the eyes was the best way to maintain compulsion.